


Handyman Reporting for Duty

by 3HobbitsInATrenchcoat



Series: Soosly 2020 [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Soos' First Shift at the Shack, protective Abuelita
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25745416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3HobbitsInATrenchcoat/pseuds/3HobbitsInATrenchcoat
Summary: Sophie Ramirez isn't letting her grandson go to his very first grown up job all by himself at the tender age of 11.
Series: Soosly 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867567
Comments: 2
Kudos: 57





	Handyman Reporting for Duty

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Soosly](https://soosly.tumblr.com/) 2020  
> Week 1 - Youth

He woke up early the day after his birthday. Normally he would have laid about a little longer, shut his eyes and pretended his father had actually showed up, but not today. Today he had a _job_ and someone that actually believed in him and trusted him.

Sure a lot of people thought Mr. Pines was crazy, but the Shack was just so cool. Soos couldn't wait to learn all of its intricate secrets.

With only a bit of flailing, Soos rolled out of bed and put on his brand new work shirt. It was a little big, but if he pulled a bit through a rubber band and rolled it up into itself it should stay put. A grin firmly on his face, he padded downstairs to grab breakfast on his way out the door.

“And where do you think you're going, young man?” His abuelita sat at the little dining table in the kitchen, calmly drinking her morning coffee and skimming some new home decorating magazine. Her tone was curious, not confrontational, but Soos knew he should be honest with her.

“Mr. Pines hired me as a handyman yesterday! I'm gonna go learn all the Shack's secrets!” Soos rummaged through the cabinets for a granola bar, missing the way his abuelita set down her magazine with a frown.

“Mr. Pines is a very busy man, dear. Are you sure he hired you and you didn't just mishear?” She watched her grandson tear into the packet of granola with a fond but exasperated expression.

“Sure did!” Soos said around a mouthful of oats and dried fruit. “Asked if I knew how to fix a toilet! Can't be any harder than the ones we have, right?”

Sophia sighed, draining the last of her coffee and pushing back from the table. “Alright then, angel. Let's get you to your first day of work.” At Soos' confused stare she let out a little laugh. “Did you think I would miss this? It's not far, I'll walk with you.”

The walk to the Mystery Shack was indeed short, Soos skipping ahead and full of energy. Sophia kept a smile on her face, but her mind was whirling. Stanford Pines had always been a bit of an odd duck as far as the town was concerned. Eight years of extremely antisocial self-isolation followed by a near-miraculous change in tone and a gaudy tourist trap? Everyone else may have eaten the story up, but she wasn't about to let her precious grandson become another casualty to a shyster's ego. One didn't go around the sun as many times as she had without some common sense, after all.

Arriving at the shack, Soos skipped right up to the gift shop door, knocking firmly just like Sophia had taught him. For a long moment there was no response and she had just opened her mouth to suggest they turn back and try later in the day when a frightful banging and scraping came from the other side of the door. It wrenched open and Stan Pines, bleary-eyed and haggard stared out at them.

“Eh, whats this?” he said, rubbing at his eyes. “We're closed, come back at 10.” He started to shut the door but Soos piped up.

“I'm here to work, Mr. Pines! You hired me yesterday.” Despite her unease, Sophia was proud of the way Soos' voice didn't waver.

“Did I?” Stan looked a little closer and his shoulders slumped as he took in the staff shirt Soos was so proudly wearing. “Alright, kid. I'll give it a shot, can't be worse than the last guy. Toolbox is under the register and the leaky toilet is the first door on the right of the bobblehead display. We can discuss pay and hours after you've proved you can fix stuff.”

Soos dashed past him into the shop with a “Thanks Mr. Pines! I won't let you down!” and Stan went from rubbing his eyes to massaging his temples. He'd been up all night with that damn journal again and he just did not have the brainpower to process this. The clearing of a throat brought him back to the present.

“Before you go using my grandson for child labor, we ought to have a chat, Stanford.” Sophia did not miss the flinch at the name, but she filed that information away for later. She pointed at a rickety rocking chair by the porch. “Have a seat before you fall over.”

Stan knew that behind her soft looks lurked a backbone made of steel, he'd heard the rumors about her son-in-law and husband as much as the next person in town. He sat and swallowed hard as she got up into his face.

“My little boy wants to work for you. I don't know why, but he respects and looks up to you. If you do anything to betray that respect I will come for you and you will not enjoy it.” She dusted off her hands as if dusting off her threat. Stan nodded. “Now that that is settled, you will pay him at least minimum wage and you will be mindful when dictating his hours that he is still a child. You might have to teach him a few things, but my boy is a quick study. Any questions?”

“No, Ma'am.” Stan's gaze met hers, wide but unflinching. “I get that he's a kid and I'm a little baffled that he wants to work for me but...” he laughed a little desperately. “I'm runnin' out of options. I can't say no to offered help, even if I don't remember asking for it. I promise I'll take care of the kid as long as he wants to work here.”

“Good.” Sophia offered a hand out of the chair and Stan took it. “We have an understanding then.”

Stan nodded and then his gaze snapped back towards the gift shop mere seconds before a very damp but happy Soos stepped out onto the deck. “I found your problem, Mr. Pines! Just a loose bolt, tightened it back up and it's all good to go. Your last handyman really did a number on the poor thing though, I had to fix a lot of his mess before I found the problem...” his rambling ground to a halt, but his grin stayed as Stan chuckled.

“Good job, gumdrop. Let's see what else is on that to-do list, eh?” Stan ruffled Soos' hair and led him back inside. Sophia smiled after them, her boy would be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah I know this trope has been done a million times I just love it so much.
> 
> Please let me know what you thought! I live for comments.


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